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Contrasts between harrison bergeron and fahrenheit 451
Contrasts between harrison bergeron and fahrenheit 451
Contrasts between harrison bergeron and fahrenheit 451
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"A book is a loaded gun in the house next door" (Bradbury 56). This quote was from Fahrenheit 451, a book where technology takes over a society and diverse knowledge is banned. People who own books are deemed crazy and have everything burned down. It connects to Harrison Bergeron, a short story by Kurt Vonnegut, where everyone is equal by bringing everyone down to the lowest average. People in this dystopian society are handicapped mentally and physically and when someone decides to rebel they are met with grave consequences.
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury and “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. are good examples of what would happen if one law was created to make a thriving utopia, but it turns it into a frightful dystopia. Both stories have one major law that attempts to create a utopia, but turns it into a dystopia. In Fahrenheit 451, the protagonist, Montag, and his friend, Clarisse, talk about how books are illegal in this society. It says “‘Do you ever read any of the books you burn?’ He laughed.
In the different science fiction texts, "Fahrenheit 451" and "Harrison Bergeron", it is shown by the authors, that our planet is slowly becoming a dystopian society. The limitations in the society's convey that the author is trying to say things about our community. In Fahrenheit, the world in which Montag lives in, doesn't allow books. The author's message is that too much technology will ruin our society. The theme of Harrison Bergeron is that because of a lot of argument over equality, our future may have to live by different standards.
Individuality is worth the potential risks involved in Fahrenheit 451 and Harrison Bergeron because Professor Faber and Harrison Bergeron were able to become truly happy devoting their lives to something bigger than themselves. In fact, Faber says in Fahrenheit 451 that “‘I feel alive for the first time in years’” (Bradbury 133). Being an individual made Faber feel alive and happy for the first time in a long time, and it shows us that individuality can make people feel better about their circumstances and that they are doing something important for their world. Individuality also made Faber less afraid about his life.
In society, some people have conflicts with things and people around them. In Fahrenheit 451, the main character, Montag, has to burn books for a living. Montag’s life began to change when he has a decision to steal, hide, and read the books, or turn the books in and act like everyone else. Ray Bradbury shows Montag’s conflict with his wife, a friend, and technology in Fahrenheit 451. Bradbury uses Mildred, Montag’s wife, to show how everyone there is like robots.
But he didn't get very far with it before another noise in his ear radio scattered his thoughts. ”(Vonnegut 1). This also shows that the handicaps make everybody the same. The noise handicaps are for preventing smart people from thinking about why the government controls them, like it did with George. The noise handicaps are for people who are smarter than average, but it seems like it makes them below average because it gives people headaches and average people do not have to deal with it.
In Vonnegut’s short story Harrison Bergeron and Orwell’s Animal Farm, simplistic diction is utilized to prove inequality. After the sheep finish chanting about how superior two legs are, Clover urges Benjamin to read the last of the commandments. As Benjamin goes up to read the final commandment, it is revealed that the sign has been modified to say that “SOME ANIMALS ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS” (40). Illustrating those who oversimplify situations when talking down to others. While George and Hazel are watching television, Hazel notices the vast amounts on handicaps on george.
Since I began high school, language arts has been my most difficult class. It doesn’t quite click with me like math and science do, yet I continue to sign up for the advanced classes to challenge myself. Each assignment can have a huge impact on one’s grade since there aren’t many, and it only added to the stress of this particular essay missing the first couple days we had to work on it. Oddly, we were told to wait before writing the introduction; something I was okay with because introductions and conclusions cause me more apprehension than any other aspect of an essay. We were then told that we were to all write a specific type of introduction.
After they meet Montag starts to think about his society and questions job. Fahrenheit 451 is a warning to society nowadays shown through technology, violence, and distractions. Technology is one way the book is a warning to society. Technology is getting better every minute around the world, and it’s not gonna stop growing anytime soon.
In 1984 and “Harrison Bergeron”,complete faith in the government allows the government to implement practices from which the governors benefit, and not the ones governed. In the book 1984 by George Orwell, the people are governed by one ruling party, which controls all aspects of life and supported by almost all its citizens. The main character of the book is named Winston Smith and throughout the book, he begins to question the party and their doings. In the beginning Winston starts perform small revolts of his own, but as the plot progresses, his revolts become bigger and bigger. His biggest revolt was forming a sexual relationship with a woman, something that is strictly forbidden by the Party.
With injustice and cruelty running rampant in the world, it is unsurprising that people become determined to make things better for tomorrow. The cliché saying that the ends justify the means is often quoted by those aware of the moral greyness of their actions. Commendable yet unreasonable, leaders whose sole purpose in life is to fix what they see as “wrong” with the world fall prey to thinking there is only ally or enemy. In the long run, they harm those they try to liberate.
One common afternoon in the year of 2081, when everyone was equal, Hazel and George Bergeron were in their lovely living room watching television. Suddenly, a news reporter with a severe speech impediment came on. After trying many times to say, “Good morning ladies and gentlemen,” he handed it off to a ballerina who read, “Harrison Bergeron, age 14, has just escaped from jail, where he was held on suspicion of plotting to overthrow the government. He is a genius and an athlete, is under-handicapped, and should be regarded as extremely dangerous.” However, in this short story “Harrison Bergeron”, Kurt Vonnegut uses irony, shift and mood, and allusion to illustrated haw society would be if everyone was under the law of equality.
Once a person is introduced into different ways of thinking, they feel that they are restricted to think in other ways. This restriction, is the handicap. The handicap prevents George from thinking too much. From using his ability to think in a different way. In this society, many people appear that they are not open minded.
The short story “Harrison Bergeron”, was first published in October 1961 issue of Fantasy and Science Fiction. Some other works Kurt Vonnegut has written are, “Player Piano”, “The Sirens of Titan”, “Mother Night”, and “Cats Cradle” are just a few of the novels Vonnegut has written. Kurt Vonnegut has drawn on facts and incidents in his own life in his writings. Kurt’s short stories range from visions of future societies, that are extensions of modern societies. Many of his writings are ones that are science fiction.
The people of the United States fight and strive for an absolute “equal” society, but is it what’s really wanted? “Harrison Bergeron,” a short story written by Kurt Vonnegut, uses satire to describe the deficiency in our idea of a truly “equal” society. Throughout the story, Vonnegut describes the torture and discomfort the government administers among the people, and though they were “equal,” they were not balanced. Vonnegut uses characterization and word choice to warn his readers of the potential drawbacks of a truly “equal” society. He warns normalcy would become the base of thought, and people would become incapable of emotion.
